or little-known Limicolse. 207 



Dimens. rostr. *8; alse 4\5; tib. mid. "7; tars. 1*5; dig. 

 med. '95. 



Hab. In insula Sanctse Helena?. 



Independently of its larger size, longer and more robust 

 bill and tarsi, the " Wire-bird " may be distinguished from 

 its continental ally by the colour of the primaries, in which 

 the shaft of the first quill only is white, the other shafts being 

 dusky brown ; in the other species all the shafts are mesially 

 white. 



When Mr. Layard published his ' Birds of South Africa/ 

 he was under the impression that this species, the " Wire- 

 bird," which he had then recently obtained in St. Helena, 

 was the true Ch. pecuarius of Temminck, although upon what 

 ground I do not know ; for Temminck states that his bird 

 came from the Cape. Accordingly he gave Temminck' s name 

 to this species, and called the true Ch. pecuarius, with which 

 he was quite familiar in South Africa, kittlitzi. This I now* 

 propose to rectify, for the reasons above stated. 



It is very remarkable that a bird like the present, well 

 formed for flight, and having to a great extent the habits of 

 other Plovers, should be exclusively confined to a particular 

 island : yet such, I take it, is the case ; for I have seen no spe- 

 cimens of this bird from any part of continental Africa. 



All that we know of its history, therefore, has been collected 

 in St. Helena. Its haunts are thus described by Mr. Layard 

 (/. c.) : — "A plateau of arid burnt-up scoria?, rent by fearful 

 ravines, in which a few cacti struggled for existence. Here 

 and there an Asclepias looked green and inviting to the miser- 

 able goats, and was frequented by little bands of a red but- 

 terfly (Danais chrysippus) and the ubiquitous Cynthia car did. 

 Now and then a little flock of the Australian Geopelia tran- 

 quilla rose and flew before us, or a Java Sparrow or Cape 

 Waxbill (all introductions) chattered on the stunted vege- 

 tation." 



On shooting several specimens of the "Wire-bird," Mr. 



Layard soon found that he had a bird with which he was not 



previously acquainted ; and he observes, " on comparing my 



specimens with C. pecuarius, Temm., 1 found them to be larger 



ser. in. — vol. in. i 



